The Create & Thrive Podcast

By Jess Van DenBusiness Entrepreneurship

The Create & Thrive Podcast episodes

September 29, 2021Slow & Steady Business Growth and Success with Jenn Johnston [271]
Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Jenn Johnston – a long-term listener of the Create & Thrive Podcast, who has grown her business slowly to the point where she’s been able to go full-time!
Jenn took the slow and steady approach to business success, working more and more on her biz, and slowly reducing her hours in her day job over a number of years, before taking the leap to full self-employment in 2021.
We talk about her journey, how a serious health issue impacted her decision to grow her business, how the C&T Pod has been an important part of that journey, and much more!
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Highlights from this episode:
Jenn has a fantastic story, particularly as she started later in life which will resonate with a lot of listeners who are in a similar position.
Jenn discussed her past life which started with studying psychology at uni and the completion of a PhD. After working in drug and alcohol research in Melbourne for 15 years, Jenn moved to northern NSW in 2009. It was difficult to get into projects in this area due to the distance from major centres, so Jenn moved towards health research.
Jenn had always dabbled with crafty things such as card making and sewing, and wanted to start working with clay.
Every year in the northern NSW area, there is an open studio weekend called the North Coast Mud Trail. Through this, Jenn met Karen who had an amazing ceramics studio just 10 minutes down the road from her. Jenn completed a 6 week throwing course at this studio and fell in love with clay. This resulted in Karen offering to let her use her studio once a week.
Over the next year, Jenn learned from Karen how to fire kilns, work on the wheel, and make glazes, and at the end of that time, purchased her own wheel.
The decision to move into ceramics full time was very deliberate for Jenn.
“Right from the start, I was quite obsessed with clay. I was going to sleep thinking about it, I was waking up thinking about it” {Jenn}.
Ceramics was the way for Jenn to finally have the creative life that maybe she always wanted, but didn’t really know how to achieve.
Many people didn’t believe that ceramics was a feasible way for Jenn to make a living, but over time Jenn reduced her working hours in health research and built her ceramics business until it was full time.
Jenn was in her late 30’s, early 40’s when she started working with clay, and while it would have been nice to find this earlier in life, the stability of her research career allowed her to build up a studio and business over time.
Jenn began selling her work through an acquaintance who owned a shop just outside Byron Bay. This started Jenn’s experience with wholesale, and currently this is 50% of her income.
Around the time of starting ceramics, Jenn had life changing surgery due to Crohn’s Disease. Following the surgery, Jenn had a new lease on life and was able to make the most of opportunities with her new found energy and good health, and make a career with clay.
Jenn also lost her father to an accident around this time, and this was a reminder that you should enjoy life and do the things that you want to do.
Jenn and Jess spoke about how this was a time when there was a new appreciation for hand-made, and this helped grow Jenn’s business.
Jenn’s approach to selling was discussed. This started with wholesale, some Instagram, and the North Coast Mud Trail as an open studio. Jenn has also built an online store over the last few years.
‘Your podcast has been really instrumental in building this business. Jess says to do an online store so let’s do an online store!’ {Jenn}
A website was originally built but was difficult to use, so now uses Shopify which is easy and simple.
‘I definitely recommend Shopify these days for newbies, or people who don’t have web design experience. It’s definitely easy to use and works really well.’ {Jess}
Covid was a real impetus to get the online store up and running, and Jenn found that directing people to the store through Instagram worked well.
Jenn’s online store tripled in sales last year, but went a bit quiet with the Sydney lockdown and the appearance of the Delta strain of Covid.
A number of events have been cancelled due to Covid which has limited sales opportunities, but wholesale continues to be a source of income for Jenn, and she is looking to access new areas such as galleries.
Jess stated that even if you have been in business for a long time, things can still happen and you need to be flexible and able to pivot to change the direction of your business.
Jenn discussed how her staffing had been affected by Covid lockdowns.
‘One of the challenges of working with clay is that you are working with clay.’ {Jenn}
There has been a shortage of clay in Australia in recent months, possibly due to more people taking this up as a hobby. There has also been a change to the recipe of clays that Jenn has worked with for years. Therefore, the clays have not reacted the same to firing and glazes as previously. This has kept Jenn awake at night, and has forced her to change the types of pieces she makes.
Jenn discussed her customer base which is mainly in Australia, however she has recently discovered that her products are being shipped to Japan through one of her wholesale customers, Plant Society. Jenn also ships some online orders overseas.
Jenn and Jess talked about marketing strategy. For Jenn this has in the past been mostly through Instagram, though having products in retail stores is also a great way to get your name out there.
This year, Jenn has started reaching out through other channels like this podcast, and other PR opportunities.
Jenn spoke about why she decided to bring other people into the business, and this was mostly due to the fact that, while still working in health research, she didn’t have the capacity to make enough product. She began employing someone after school hours, and eventually decided to bring on staff one day per week which had a huge impact in terms of what she could produce.
Having someone in the studio means that Jenn gets more work done, and there is a nice flow with someone preparing the clay, and Jenn finishing the item.
The transition to full time for Jenn was discussed. Having already cut back her hours working at the uni, Jenn made the decision to go full time early in 2020, just a few months before Covid.
Jenn described a week in her life in the studio. She has found that working full time in the studio means that her weekends have been reclaimed to a large extent. She sometimes still needs to unpack the kiln etc. if required.
Despite working full time at ceramics now, Jenn has never lost her love of working with clay, and still pinches herself at how fortunate she is to be able to do something she loves.
Jenn’
43 min
September 15, 20215 Reasons to Have a Mailing List – For Handmade Business
Do you need a mailing list for your handmade business?
Honestly, they work better for some types of businesses than others, and today, I’ll outline 5 reasons why you might like to consider setting up an email marketing strategy for your business.
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen Now
14 min
August 25, 2021How Amanda (Almost) Sold Out when her Etsy Shop Launched! [269]
So this is a follow-up after my last interview with Amanda, where she shares her PHENOMENALLY successful Etsy shop launch!
When we recorded this, she’d actually done 2 product releases, and they both went super-well.
We talk about setting up shop, how to handle it when things don’t go to plan (like selling the same product twice – eep!), making mistakes, Instagram, pricing, confidence, and much more.
Enjoy!
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Do you want to learn how to set up your own online craft shop and get it right, first time?
Want access to a proven system that over 1,200 makers have used to set up a stellar online shop?
Check out my flagship course – Set Up Shop
Click Here to Find Out More
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen Now
Quotes and Highlights…
Amanda was interviewed a few months ago just prior to the launch of her new business, Dream Forged Dice, and spoke about the fears surrounding the launch and how she was feeling.
Now the business is running, Amanda discusses following the Set Up Shop process and the lead up to launch which involved heavily sharing her information and building her presence on Instagram.
“In the end I decided to go with an Etsy shop just for ease and simplicity because realistically this is a side hustle to buy fixtures so I can make more dice, rather than me trying to turn this into world domination.” {Amanda}
Promotion of the brand started in February with the Instagram challenge through Create and Thrive and the Thrivers Circle. Posting each day worked really well, resulting in great momentum and engagement with people as the aesthetic of the brand developed.
Amanda continued posting daily and one week prior to the launch, cracked the 500 followers mark, so created a giveaway to coincide with the company launch. Again this resulted in great engagement and sharing of the new brand.
When approaching the Instagram community:
Ensure that each brand has its own aesthetic so people instantly recognise who is posting just by looking at the feed;
Spend time engaging with other people’s posts and sharing them as this is a lovely boost to those artists who may not have as many followers;
When sharing posts, say why you are sharing the post or why you like the particular item as this will direct people back to the maker.
Play around with hashtags and searching different combinations to find new makers and customers.
Jess and Amanda discuss the dice community being more supportive and less competitive than others, and this is also evident with dice Facebook groups. It is also about how you engage with communities, learn from each other, and lift each other up.
Choosing the right pricing was a challenge for Amanda as she undervalued her work, and did not want to be seen as overcharging customers. This is a common problem amongst new makers.
On launch day, Amanda sold 16 or 17 items within 45 minutes, and 22 sets within 12 hours. A further launch was held 2 weeks ago, and these have also sold well.
Jess made the point that Amanda’s launch strategy works because the items for sale are one of a kind and you can build anticipation for customers who don’t want to miss out on their chosen dice set. However, this strategy will be less successful if selling reproducible items.
Makers who want to make more money from their business, and aren’t just selling as a side hustle, should consider making reproducible items and selling at a lower price point, as well as the one of a kind items sold at a higher price point.
“Something is gonna go wrong so just do the thing.” {Amanda}
Amanda discusses lessons learned:
Things will go wrong but it just doesn’t matter, back yourself and you can work it out.
If you don’t know where to start with your new business, set up with Etsy as this is easy to use, and there is lots of help available online. If you are looking at a full time business, there may be better options available but Etsy is a great way to begin.
Be excellent to each other, and form good relationships with your customers.
Amanda is considering developing different colour combinations for the next launch, and also handmade dice bags.
Those who are interested can check out Amanda’s sewing blog Bimble & Pimble.
50 min
August 11, 2021Do these 5 Things BEFORE you Open your Online Shop [268]
If you haven’t yet launched your Etsy or other handmade shop online, or you’ve launched but nothing seems to be happening… this is for you.
Today I outline 5 things you need to get sorted before you can expect to successfully sell your craft online.
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!

Do you want to learn how to set up your own online craft shop and get it right, first time?
Want access to a proven system that over 1,000 makers have used to set up a stellar online shop?
Check out my flagship course – Set Up Shop
Click Here to Find Out More
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
17 min
August 02, 2021Etsy Star Seller – Another Etsy Fail? [267]
They’ve done it again!
Dropped a bomb on the Etsy community. Reminds me of when they released ODR.. remember that? (P.S. It’s gone now…)
Should you worry about the new Star Seller system?
Are you ever going to be eligible?
In this video I’m going to break down what it is, how it works, and a whooooole bunch of issues that it has at this point in time.
Get your FREE Etsy Resources:
🌟Etsy Quick-Start Guide: http://createandthrive.com/etsyguide
🌟Etsy SEO Cheat Sheet: http://createandthrive.com/etsyseo
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen Now
26 min
July 29, 2021Beautiful Branding – the Do’s and Don’ts: Kelly McElroy of Star Castle Studio [266]
How do your customers know whether your business is for them?
Your branding, of course!
This instantly tells folks if your work is going to fit their lifestyle and aesthetics, and if it resonates with them, you’re more likely to capture and keep their interest.
But how do you develop a beautiful brand that captures your ideal customer?
Today I speak with Kelly McElroy, a graphic designer who specialises in helping small indie businesses create brands that stand out.
We discuss some of the common mistakes beginner business owners make with their brands, some key principles to keep in mind when developing your brand, and we also share some cool branding tools that can help you!
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
Brand your CraftDoes your handmade business have a strong brand identity?
Or are you just treating your creations like commodities – trying to compete on price, and failing to stand out in a crowded marketplace?
Creating a strong, unique brand identity is fundamentally important if you want to make your business stand out from the others in your niche.
This self-study course will help you – in just 14 days you’ll have the knowledge to craft the perfect brand for your business!
FIND OUT MORE
Listen to this episode…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.

Highlights and quotes from this episode:
Kelly studied fine arts but transferred to graphic design and found her passion.
After working at an agency, Kelly started her own small branding and design business—Star Castle Studio.
Having a clear business aesthetic can make it easier and less personal to refine your branding and style.
“When people say no to your business or don’t want to buy your thing they’re not saying no to you as a person” {Kelly}
Jess discusses the iterative process of her first branding journey.
You don’t need to have a fully realised product line to start developing your brand.
“You may not know what kind of product it will be but what kind of feeling will it give people who have purchased it or the people that see it?” {Kelly}
When considering your business name, keep it as open ended and non-product specific as possible.
Avoid following branding trends—they will require frequent updates.
“If you are creating your visuals solely to match the intention behind your brand you’re not going to have to update it unless your intention changes” {Kelly}
If you’re not sure of what colours work together, or would like suggestions, Jess and Kelly both recommend Coolors.
A strong and authentic brand makes a big difference to both how customers interact with your products and how you perceive your own business.
Be clear who you want to appeal to as well as who you don’t want to appeal to. It is not possible to something for everyone and finding your niche will strengthen your brand.
Check out Kelly’s business at Star Castle Studio
46 min
July 15, 2021How I Organise my Life & Businesses [265]
Over the years I’ve developed a system of capturing and organising ideas, information and appointments/tasks that works for me, a fully-self-employed woman who runs 2 businesses (and is part of a third).
The key? Stuff needs to be written down, and everything needs a specific home, so nothing gets lost or forgotten.
In today’s video/podcast, I’m going to share the exact system and tools (apps, etc.) that I use to stay organised, on-task, and keep everything running smoothly.
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!

In this upcoming live workshop, we’re talking time management – specifically, how to better manage your time, energy, and attention, so you can be more productive, and live in a state of energised calm – rather than a state of stress and overwhelm.
This will not only help you to grow your business – it will make your life as a whole much more enjoyable!
I’ll share a number of ideas for gaining back time; I discuss how to gain more energy through better management of sleep, exercise, diet, and relaxation; and I share a number of time management hacks, strategies, and apps you can use to better manage your focus in the time you have.
Workshop happening online & live: Thursday July 29th at 11am Australian Eastern Standard Time (Brisbane, Australia time).
If you’re a member, you can log in and RSVP to this workshop, right here.
Not a member? Join now at ThriverCircle.com.
If you’re seeing this after July, this workshop will be recorded and available to all members of the Circle in our Workshop Library.
Join the Circle
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen Now
22 min
June 23, 2021Can you have a Successful Handmade Business WITHOUT Using Social Media? [264]
Is it possible? Short answer – yes, absolutely!
This video/podcast is my longer answer 😉
Today, I’m going to share 9 ways to have a successful handmade business WITHOUT having to use or rely on social media to market your biz.
Combining some or all of the strategies I mention will help – the more ways you can get your work out there, the better.
Also: Join me for the 2021 Pinterest Challenge!
You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube!
Brand your CraftDoes your handmade business have a strong brand identity?
Or are you just treating your creations like commodities – trying to compete on price, and failing to stand out in a crowded marketplace?
Creating a strong, unique brand identity is fundamentally important if you want to make your business stand out from the others in your niche.
FIND OUT MORE
Watch on YouTube…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
26 min
June 09, 2021Getting Ready to Launch a Handmade Biz – Interview with Amanda Adams of Dream Forged Dice [263]
Are you preparing to start a handmade business?
Today I interview my dear friend and maker Amanda, while she is in the process of preparing to launch her Etsy shop!
I interviewed her while she was taking my course – Set Up Shop – and as we recorded this, she was about 3 weeks away from opening her shop for the very first time.
We talk about common issues and fears, like pricing, finding your voice while writing copy (item descriptions, about page, etc), the fear that no-one will buy anything, and much more!
Since we recorded this, her shop has launched with huge success – if you’d like me to have her back on the show to talk through how she managed it, let me know over on Instagram.
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!

Do you want to learn how to set up your own online craft shop and get it right, first time?
Want access to a proven system that over 1,000 makers have used to set up a stellar online shop?
Check out my flagship course – Set Up Shop
Click Here to Find Out More
Listen to this episode…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen Now
Highlights from this episode:
Set Up Shop Course
Create & Thrive Podcast Episode 130
Dream Forged Dice Instagram
Dream Forged Dice Shop
Bimble & Pimble Blog
52 min
May 27, 20217-Figure Amazon Handmade Biz Owner Dana Midkiff Shares her Story [262]
Dana Midkiff has done an amazing job of growing a small handmade wreath business into an empire – and surpassing 7 figures in sales thanks to her Amazon Handmade shop.
Dana was a CPA who did the 9-5 corporate thing for many years.
When her 2nd child was six months old, she was trying to figure out how to pay off some credit card debt so she browsed Pinterest for something she could make. Wreaths stuck and she pursued it.
That was in 2013. Fast forward to October of 2015, when she already had an Etsy shop and several employees.
Amazon Handmade as a category opened and she started setting up shop for when they went live in October 2015.
Six months later, she started with Fulfilled by Amazon (where you send your items into Amazon warehouses to get the Prime badge).
Just two short years later, she was able to quit her office job to pursue this full time.
Since then, she’s moved two warehouses, surpassed 7 figures and never looked back.
In this episode, she explains how she did it, as well as all the intricacies of how to succeed on the Amazon Handmade platform!
You can listen to this episode below, or on your fave podcasting app!
When you sell online, you simply cannot afford to have anything less than stellar photos of your work.
The Create & Thrive Guide to Product Photography has been written for the beginner-to-intermediate product photographer.
Written by a professional photographer, specifically for makers with little photography experience, this e-book will teach you all you need to know to get started on your product photography journey.
Find out more...
Listen to this episode…
Support the show
You can make a secure donation (of the amount of your choice) via the Paypal button below.

Each donation helps cover the cost of hosting, show-note writing, research, interviewing, recording, editing, etc. etc.
In short – it helps to cover the time and financial costs of putting together a free weekly show to help you grow your handmade business.
You can also:
Leave a review on the C&T FB page.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Join the Thriver Circle – without the members of the Circle, this podcast would not be possible.
Listen Now
Highlights from this episode:
Dana began her business on Etsy in 2013 making door wreaths. When Amazon Handmade began in 2015, she applied and was accepted in time for its launch day.
Dana has seen massive growth and success with Amazon handmade and was able to leave her day job in 2017.
The application process for Amazon Handmade is more detailed then setting up an Etsy store. Applicants are vetted with questions around how items are created and the production process to ensure they are made my hand and not factory made.
Buyers are often not aware that they are on Amazon Handmade rather than the general Amazon website.
Amazon Handmade items are able to have a production time of up to 30 days. Your products do not need to be ready to ship immediately.
“If they (buyers) are coming and looking for a high-quality item, you have to prove to them, through images and copy, that these items are worth waiting for. And they will wait for it” {Dana}
When an order comes through, Dana will make an extra few items and send these through to the Amazon warehouse so they are ready to sell with an Amazon Prime badge and its expedited shipping.
Jess and Dana recommend exploring keywords on the e-commerce platform you use by typing in a keyword and seeing what other words will autofill.
Amazon Handmade requires you to respond to messages from customers within 24 hours, however, you can set up an admin account and you can delegate replying to messages to others.
Etsy is a more forgiving platform to start a business on as Amazon Handmade is stringent about messaging and delivery times.
“If you’re working trying to figure out your brand and your packaging, your supplies and resources, and all of those things that come with being a baby business, use Etsy to figure out those tweaks and changes” {Dana}
Dana finds the fees of Amazon Handmade fairly comparable to Etsy when considering the reach of Amazon.
“You see lots of people complaining about Etsy fees. But, business costs money. You can’t just get everything for free. It’s about making sure you calculate fees into your pricing” {Jess}
It is not possible to have every single element of your business sorted out when you launch your shop.
“You’re not going to have it all figured out on day one” {Dana}
Check out Dana’s website here.
53 min

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